The present invention, Hosta ‘Neptune’, relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Hosta, botanically known as a Hosta hybrida, and hereinafter will be referred to by its cultivar name ‘Neptune’.
‘Neptune’ was selected in summer of 2004 and originated from a controlled cross, designated 99-371, made by the inventor in Waseca, Minn. in summer of 1999. The pod parent was an unnamed seedling of the inventor's, designated 97-316 (Hosta ‘Maekawa’×‘Halcyon’) and the pollen parent was Hosta ‘Salute’. The parent plants are not patented.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by the inventor utilizing in vitro propagation in Waseca, Minn. in August of 2006. Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by division and tissue culture has shown that the unique features of ‘Neptune’ are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.